8 Polyvagal Exercises to Activate Your Vagus Nerve

Key Insights

• Three States of the Nervous System. When faced with perceived safety or danger, the body shifts between calm (ventral), fight-or-flight (sympathetic), and shutdown (dorsal) .
• Neuroception Drives Response. Our nervous system constantly scans for cues of safety or threat without our conscious awareness, which shapes how we feel and behave.
• Connection Regulates the Nervous System. Supportive relationships and exercises like deep breathing help strengthen vagal tone and make us to feel calm.

 

The Polyvagal Theory Explained

The Polyvagal theory, developed by American neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges, reshaped our understanding of the human nervous system and the body's response to threat and social interactions.

Before polyvagal theory, the nervous system was thought to act in a binary manner, like a light switch, with the body's stress response being in an on or off state. According to this perspective, threat causes the autonomic nervous system to activate a 'fight-or-flight' response, and once the threat is gone, we return to feeling safe and calm.

According to Dr Porges, human responses to stress are too varied and nuanced to be adequately explained by a binary model. Instead, he proposed a three-part hierarchy, like a ladder:

• Ventral vagal social engagement (top of the ladder):
  This is a state of safety in which we are able to emotionally relate and connect to others. In this state we can feel more open, peaceful and curious.
• Sympathetic activation (middle of the ladder):
  This is a defensive state in which the body mobilises us for 'fight-or-flight' in order to quickly dispatch threat. To do this, our heart beats faster, our breathing becomes fast and shallow, our muscles tense, and stress hormones flood our body.
• Dorsal vagal shutdown (bottom of the ladder):
  When our nervous system is intensely activated and we still can't dispatch the threat, a protective part of the nervous system shuts down or freezes, like a turtle withdrawing into its shell. We may flop to the floor or curl up in a ball. Our heart rate, blood pressure, and facial expressions all decrease. We may have difficulty thinking and speaking clearly, and we can feel numb, dizzy, or disconnected. 

Here's a very simple example of the polyvagal ladder in action. Jane is enjoying a video call with an old friend. She's in a ventral vagal state and feels safe and able to connect and empathise with others. A loud crash upstairs startles her. Jane's sympathetic nervous system responds to the potential threat by mobilising her body for fight-or-flight. Jane's pupils dilate, her breathing becomes shallower and her heart beats faster. Alternatively, Jane might respond by entering a dorsal vagal state, a kind of "playing dead" survival mechanism of last resort. Jane becomes still and holds her breath. She is unable to communicate with her friend or take any kind of action. How Jane's nervous system will react will depend on a range of factors, not least her previous life experiences.

Want to understand Polyvagal Theory in a simple, visual way? Watch this video we made to break it all down.

The Role of the Vagus Nerve

Another key part of polyvagal theory is the role of the vagus nerve. In Latin, vagus means wandering, and true to its name, the vagus nerve wanders from the brain stem throughout the body, regulating many bodily functions, including heart rate, breathing, digestion, and immune function. The vagus nerve is also responsible for the body's "rest and digest" response, as opposed to the "fight or flight" response of the sympathetic nervous system.

There are two branches to the vagus nerve:

• Ventral, which means front
• Dorsal, which means back

A good way to understand the difference is to think of the ventral as a footbrake that slows you down, allowing you to enter a calm and safe place, and the dorsal as an emergency brake, stopping you immediately in your tracks.

The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which itself is part of the autonomic nervous system. Don't worry too much about these details. The key point is that the vagus nerve is separate from the sympathetic, fight-or-flight, pathway.

Neuroception

The goal of the autonomic nervous system is to keep us safe and alive, and it achieves this using something called neuroception, which works a bit like an internal smoke detector for cues to safety and danger.

Before Jane had time to think, neuroception in her body had already scanned her environment and used this information to make changes to her heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension via the vagus nerve. 

Neuroception takes place automatically and without involving the thinking part of our brain. It's the reason why you might feel uneasy in a situation without consciously knowing why. Neuroception is essential to survival as it allows us to react rapidly to potential threats and social interactions.

Co-regulation

Co-regulation is another core component of polyvagal theory and is fundamental to feeling safe and secure in relationships.

The autonomic nervous system does not work alone and is regulated through connections with other nervous systems. These nervous systems support and influence each other. Through co-regulation, emotional and physiological states, including heart rate and breathing, become synchronised. When we feel safe and supported by others, our autonomic nervous system is better able to manage stress and our emotional responses. This is why polyvagal theory is sometimes referred to as the "science of safety." 

Co-regulation begins in the womb when an unborn baby hears its mother's voice, which is a comforting sound. As an infant, they associate this voice with other comforting cues, such as a parent's smile, and as a toddler, they learn to seek co-regulation from their parent whenever they feel distressed. Even when we learn to self-regulate, we continue to seek co-regulation in order feel safe, calm, and connected to others.

For those who've experienced chronic stress or trauma, co-regulation can be more difficult as they may find it harder to establish a sense of safety. Faulty neuroception, that is, the inability to accurately assess whether a situation is safe or dangerous, can cause us to become hardwired to experience threat, stress, and anxiety, even when we're feeling safe. As a consequence, we can become locked in a protective fight-or-flight or shutdown state that prevents us from connecting with others. 

If we don't have a safe relationship in our life, it is still possible to get back to a ventral vagal state with safe therapeutic relationships and exercises that activate the vagus nerve. Even noticing micro-moments of peace or joy, known as glimmers, can help us to get back to a ventral vagal state faster.

Like muscle toning, it's possible to increase vagal tone so that we can cope better with stress and return to a ventral vagal state faster.

8 Polyvagal Exercises to Activate Your Vagus Nerve

Activating and toning the vagus nerve can improve emotional regulation, reduce stress, and boost overall well-being. Here are 8 proven exercise to activate your vagus nerve:

Breath Deeply and Slowly. Breathing from the diaphragm stimulates the vagus nerve. Techniques like box breathing or the physiological sigh (two inhales followed by an extended exhale) have been found to lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Gargle. The vagus nerve connects to muscles at the back of the throat. Gargling contracts the muscles of the pallet, which stimulates the vagus nerve.

Hum, Chant, or Sing. The vagus nerve connects to the vocal cords and inner ear. Vibrations caused by singing, humming, or chanting creates soothing vibrations that increase heart rate variability, reduced illness and support well-being.

Use Cold Exposure. The vagus nerve is stimulated when the body is exposed to cold. Cold showers, splashing your face with cold water, or a blast of cold air through an open window dampen the fight-or-flight response and increase the "rest and digest" response.

Move Your Body. Exercise, including walking, running, strength training, and somatic movement, supports vagal tone, enhances cognition, and aids digestion.

Laugh Often. Laughter naturally induces deep diaphragmatic breathing, which stimulates the vagus nerve while improving mood and reducing stress.

Try Body Scan Meditation. Lie down and close your eyes. Starting at the top of your head, scan down through your body, noticing areas of tension. Take deep breaths and imagine sending relaxing energy to each part of your body.

Self-havening. This technique involves gentle, rhythmic touch to the face, arms, or hands (like stroking your upper arms or cupping your cheeks). These motions soothe the nervous system and support vagal activation. Specific motions such as  crossing your arms (like a self-hug) stimulate the vagus nerve.

In Summary

Polyvagal theory has reshaped our understanding of the nervous system and the way we view stress, behaviour, and well-being. If you found this explanation helpful, you'll love our Polyvagal Workbook, packed with clear, accessible explanations, and printable tools and worksheets.

References

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Dana, D. (2018). The polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Porges, S. W. (2004). Neuroception: A subconscious system for detecting threats and safety. Zero to Three, 24(5), 19–24.

Kolacz, J., & Porges, S. W. (2018). Chronic diffuse pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders after traumatic stress: Pathophysiology through a polyvagal perspective. Frontiers in Medicine, 5, 145. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2018.00145

Porges, S. W. (2009). The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 76(S2), S86–S90. https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.76.s2.17

Kok, B. E., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2010). Upward spirals of the heart: Autonomic flexibility, as indexed by vagal tone, reciprocally and prospectively predicts positive emotions and social connectedness. Biological Psychology, 85(3), 432–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.09.005

Thayer, J. F., & Lane, R. D. (2009). Claude Bernard and the heart–brain connection: Further elaboration of a model of neurovisceral integration. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 33(2), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.08.004

Feldman, R. (2007). Parent–infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing; physiological precursors, developmental outcomes, and risk conditions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(3-4), 329–354. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01701.x